Dimmed Fire
by TheNightbearer
Summary: Soraka's use of star fire to harm cut her connection with the sky. Centuries of healing thrown away in an act of defiance, not anger. The stars may no longer speak to the star child, but they can listen. One-shot.


Soraka witnessed the last minion fall to a blaze of gunfire, and then Jinx had been caught out, with Thresh unable to back her up. So Soraka took the initiative, calling upon the stars to burn the crazed gunner. The strange fact that Jinx stood to fight should have alerted them to a greater danger. A danger in the form of an unstoppable inferno, Blaze. The ground buckled and a wave of fire exploded from beneath it, forcing Soraka and Vayne to dodge to the side.

The man of cinder strode leisurely out of the river bush. Jinx thought the situation insane and hilarious, much like herself, "Not much fun without uneven odds and imminent death, huh?"

Refusing to let the maniac see be moved by the words, Soraka calmed herself. 'So this is my fate, but Vayne's is not yet sealed.' "Vayne! We can't win here, keep running no matter what happens to me!"

Dislodging the large crossbow off her back, the night hunter became donned a face of grim determination, "So be it. Until another time, Soraka," and with that she tumbled back, her cloak's magics granting invisibility for a short time.

"Hey! You can't die screaming without me, silly," Jinx turned to Brand," catch up when you can, matchstick. Hate to take your all your fun!"

With her deranged laughter echoing, the trio of Noxians jumped into action, Thresh and Jinx pursuing Vayne and leaving Brand to finish off the woman's support.

"Let us see if stars truly burn the brightest, Soraka." A cruel grin split what was left of his charred features as he began to channel heat into the surroundings. With a roar, a pyroclasm of near magma shot towards the star child, impacting with searing heat and the force of a sledgehammer.

"Darkness!"

Shadows took precedence upon the battlefield, vision reduced to practically none in the unnatural shroud. Only vague shapes and twisted faces were able to be made out, before the surrounding area gave a shuddering breath, echoing with the pain of countless others in time and a mass of shadow and bloodlust flew towards the pyromaniac. The mage's charred skin gave no resistance to a blade of pure nightmare. Nocturne had arrived and left ashes in his wake.

"No! Vayne is further down the lane, Nocturne," the star child despairing at the night hunter having to solo the crazed duo, "forget me and save her!"

Her only reply was a dry, gasping laugh, "Did you not question why she ran towards the enemy jungle? Vayne ran to give you a chance. Now, even I can tell a lost cause, healer, let us move on to where we can actually make a difference on this battlefield. Do not waste the chance she gave us for your feeble emotions."

Pulling herself up from where the Pyroclasm left her, Soraka set herself at a fast pace towards Vayne's last known location. "The chance she gave me is mine to use. You may go on if you wish to follow a different path, nightmare."

"You wish to throw your life away for some mortal? This line of thinking is exactly why you lost the Star's Blessing, your compassion is truly a weakness, star child!" With that he melded into the dusk, leaving the mage to carry her burden alone on her trek through the enemy jungle.

The sight of an empty camp, one usually reserved for the Lizard Elder, stopped Soraka cold. She noticed the distinct lack of howling from the wraith's area. "Come out, harbingers! Do you truly fear a lone healer that much?"

The thin line of bushes to her left a few yards away parted quickly, a bombshell of a woman slipping through.

"Here I thought supports weren't insane enough to roam on without someone to babysit them, HA!" The loose cannon paused in her delirium, seemingly confused, "Then again, who am I to question crazy!?"

Determination made Soraka stand her ground in the face of insanity, "Your violence will not go unanswered, I assure you."

The maniac's grin only grew wider, "So here's the plan, you hooved monkey, you start running and I pay you back for what Vayne did to Thresh. IN BULLETS!"

The winding whir of the girl's mini-gun made Soraka dive to the tree line, just as bullets began tearing into the enchanted landscape. _What was I thinking?! To be solo this monster? No, no, I have fought worse than this, Warwick being a prime example._ Several ricocheted bullets took refuge in her back during her distraction. _Damn, I can't heal with the bullets still in the wounds!_

"Oh, come out already. I love shooting things that SPARKLE!" Foliage exploded around the star child as Jinx switched to her rocket launcher, Fishbones.

Taking advantage of the delay in the bomber's explosive attacks, Soraka shot into the open, "I will be free of you!" Waves of celestial energy began to coalesce above the two duelists, stray sparks of energy scorching the landscape in small blazes, singeing Jinx if she strayed too far.

Jinx stopped firing, and began...talking? Yes, she began to converse with the rocket launcher,"Whaddya say, up for a little more trouble, Fishbones? Haha!" Hoisting the rocket launcher to her shoulder, it began to emit more and more exhaust, but didn't fire anything.

_She wouldn't actually use that now, would she!?_ The thought of the loose cannon willing to use her greatest attack on a weakened support never occurred to her, but did not deter her from sprinting towards the woman. "Infuse!"

A sputtering sound came from the weapon before fizzling one last time as it shut down.

The look on the gunner's face was pure shock, the fact that the star child dared try to stop her rampage rather than flee the fed psycho was unprecedented. She'd seen many supports turn back to sacrifice themselves for allies, but never with the hope of surviving, let alone winning!

Pressing her advantage, Soraka used her momentum from her charge to sweep at Jinx's legs with her staff, knocking the gunner out of her stupor as she fell." Who do you think you are? Some weak support with dreams of carrying? Even I'm not that delusional, so get real!" The purr of the mini gun began as Jinx stumbled to stand.

Soraka closed her eyes, the blood loss making her stumble from the dizziness and nausea that accompanied it. She knelt down, laying her staff across her lap as she rested her weight on her knees. The blackness of death pulling at the edge of her senses. Stars, hear me one last time!-"You're right. I'm nowhere near the powerhouse you are, or even strong enough to survive alone on this battlefield," the jungle stilled, as if waiting for the celestial's last words," However, I have sworn to heal and protect, and one way I can protect those precious to me is to destroy evil such as you, I will not hesitate!" Soraka stumbled to her feet, having to support herself up with her staff. "I will stand against you, and as long as there is hope, I will live!"

What could only be described as a divine light shone in a concentrated beam upon the star child, her injuries seeming to go through accelerated healing at a rate only capable of with magic. Slivers of the star fire in the sky shot down with one purpose: to heal the land of this insanity.

Jinx learned that the star fire didn't just burn. Upon trying to dodge, her body ended up hitting more and more, her reactions too delayed to actively evade them anymore. "Psycho mages-", another swing of her staff had the breath knocked out of the crazed gunner, effectively cutting off her attempt at taunting the star child.

"Your carelessness for the life of others has come full circle, Jinx," Soraka paused, gathering the last of her strength into one last star call, "Know that the stars shine dim, but true. Be well." At last the loose cannon toppled, not to return to her feet.

Looking around at the charred surroundings of forest and crumbled tower, she hadn't been quick enough, strong enough, just...not enough at the time. Vayne depended on her and she had failed when it mattered most, and so she did not move from the fallen Jinx as a Dredge Line was hurtled from the bushes, for Nautilus could not take this victory from her, her own form of retribution in a desperate vengeance.

She had been able to lessen the burden of others, and for now that was enough.


End file.
